1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a combined foldable door and slidable window on a cab for motor vehicle. The window is placed on a cab door for allowing a driver to open the window and adjust an outside mirror without opening the door. The door can be safely closed when operating the vehicle rather than being left open to make repeated adjustments to the mirror.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sliding window assemblies are known for insertion in vehicle doors, roofs, and the back of cabs of trucks. They may be constructed in a modular assembly, which typically means a window construction assembled separately from the final assembly of the motor vehicle and then installed in the vehicle.
There is a need for sliding window assemblies in foldable doors for cabs of trucks. The windows serve as a safety device on foldable cab doors. The foldable cab doors with conventional windows that do not open are typically placed in the open position so that the driver may adjust a rearview mirror on the side of the truck. Often, the door is left open during operation so the driver can repeatedly adjust the rearview mirror on the outside of the vehicle. When making frequent stops, the driver may also exit and enter the vehicle with the door folded open and leave it open when operating the vehicle. This practice is hazardous, and the placement of a slidable window in the foldable door would provide safety benefits.
The related art discloses sliding windows only and not in combination with a foldable door of a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,727 discloses a window in the cab of a combine, which is aligned with the window in a harvest bin so that the interior of the harvest bin can be viewed by the combine operator. The window in the cab is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis near the bottom of the window so it can be opened to clean the outside surfaces of the cab in the harvest bin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,449 discloses a modular sliding window assembly for a motor vehicle body with a sliding pane subassembly having a snap-fit with a frame subassembly. The subassembly comprises a pair of fixed panes, an upper and lower appliqué, and an injection-molded cover member integrating the fixed panes and the appliqués. The sliding pan subassembly comprises a generally horizontal run channel member and at least one glazine pane and optionally a run channel guide affixed to a peripheral edge of the pane. The appliqués have a flexible flange extending inward from the injection-molded cover member, forming a step ridge. The run channel members provides a correspondingly configured feature so that the snap-fit established by the step of a flexible flange.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,913 discloses a sliding window assembly having a guide track and sliding pane geometry that ensures that the sliding pane maintains a vertical, untilted orientation when it is slid along the guide track to a closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,293 discloses a rear window assembly for a vehicle comprising a first fixed pane, a second fixed pane, a sliding pane, which is supported for horizontal movement between open and closed positions in a drive assembly. The assembly includes a support system that supports the fixed panes in a manner to define a central opening. The system further includes a carrier that supports the sliding pane for horizontal movement and further provides an enhanced engagement between the sliding pane and the drive assembly.
In view of the foregoing and other related art, there is no disclosure of the combination of a foldable cab door with a sliding window assembly, the use of which would provide safety features to a driver operating the vehicle. The driver, with the present invention, is able to close the foldable door and look through the window, open it, and adjust a rearview mirror while moving the vehicle.